Near the waters of Water 7, a luxurious pirate ship had just set sail, brimming with vigor as it cut through the waves.
The ship belonged to a crew of particularly vicious-looking pirates. The moment they left port, their eyes swept eagerly across the sea, as if searching for prey.
The captain, a scar-faced bald man, barked at his crew, "Stay sharp! We spent way too much money building this ship in Water 7. We need to find some fat targets to recoup our losses—got it?!"
"Got it, Captain!" the pirates roared in unison.
This was a crew that lived by plunder. They had just purchased this grand new ship in Water 7 and were now setting out to continue their marauding ways.
Suddenly, a lookout perched on the mast shouted, "Captain, I see something! A merchant ship, about a few dozen nautical miles ahead!"
"A merchant ship?" The scar-faced captain's eyes gleamed with greed.
In his eyes, merchant ships were the juiciest prey—loaded with valuables and often defenseless. Perfect for an easy score.
"Then what are we waiting for? Full speed ahead! Take them down!" he bellowed.
"Aye!" The pirates howled like wolves, frantically increasing their speed as they closed in on the merchant vessel.
"Stop right there, merchant ship! This is a robbery!" the scar-faced captain yelled as they approached.
The merchants aboard panicked and tried to flee, but the pirates had already anticipated this. Several of them dove into the sea with strange swimming devices, swiftly reaching the ship's hull and sabotaging it.
Water began flooding the merchant ship, throwing the crew into chaos.
"Hahaha! Board them, subdue everyone, and strip the ship of anything valuable!" the scar-faced captain ordered, leaping onto the merchant ship as soon as they got close.
The merchant ship was indeed an easy target. The crew was quickly overpowered and tied up, then hauled onto the pirate ship. Meanwhile, the pirates ransacked the merchant vessel for loot.
But just as the pirates were busy pillaging, an enormous shadow suddenly loomed over the ship from above.
The captured merchants, bound on the pirate ship, looked up in shock.
What they saw left them dumbfounded.
A massive ship was falling from the sky!
Before the pirates on the merchant ship could react, the descending vessel crashed into them with devastating force, shattering the merchant ship into splinters.
The wooden ship that had fallen from the sky was also obliterated in the collision.
The merchants on the pirate ship were stunned, taking a long moment to process what had just happened.
Amid the wreckage of broken planks and the bodies of pirates—some dead, others mortally wounded—they exchanged bewildered glances.
One of them suddenly said, "I… I think being tied up on this pirate ship actually saved us?"
Another nodded in agreement. "Yeah, if we'd still been on our ship, we'd be dead right now!"
The others quickly realized the truth—they had narrowly escaped death by sheer luck.
Just then—
"Huh? Did I actually hit someone?"
A voice rang out from above.
The merchants looked up and saw a giant, translucent golden figure descending from the sky, landing gracefully on the deck of the pirate ship.
Before anyone could get a clear look at the golden giant, it vanished, revealing a young man holding a rope tied to six bound individuals.
This was none other than Lin Xuan, along with the three Celestial Dragons he had taken hostage and the three pirates he had forcibly recruited!
What had happened was this: As they were flying overhead, their descent had grown increasingly rapid. Unable to let things end in disaster, Lin Xuan activated his Susanoo, grabbed his hostages, and abandoned the ship midair.
Though his Perfect Susanoo didn't have wings like Madara Uchiha's, it possessed a floating ability that allowed it to glide.
Thus, they survived—but their abandoned ship had plummeted straight onto the merchant vessel below.
Now, surveying the devastation in the water, Lin Xuan felt a pang of guilt.
But then he noticed something odd—why were over a dozen people tied up on the ship he was standing on?
After questioning them, he learned that the people he had accidentally crushed were pirates who had just robbed a merchant ship. In other words, his actions had inadvertently saved these merchants!
Lin Xuan's guilt instantly evaporated.
"Who would've thought I'd accidentally do a good deed?" He grinned, then suddenly had another thought.
He examined the brand-new pirate ship beneath his feet, and the more he looked, the more he liked it.
Hadn't he come to Water 7 specifically to get a good ship?
Just moments ago, he'd been worrying about how to get money to buy one—and now, a fine vessel had practically dropped into his lap!
This saved him the trouble of going to Water 7 altogether.
Meanwhile, the merchants he had unintentionally rescued were bowing and thanking him profusely.
Lin Xuan simply smiled and said, "If you really want to thank me, leave the ship now. This pirate ship belongs to me!"
The merchants were stunned.
But at that moment—
"You killed my crew and now you're stealing my ship?! You've gone too far!"
A furious roar erupted as the scar-faced captain and another burly pirate suddenly climbed over the ship's railing!
"Oh? Someone actually survived?" Lin Xuan turned to look at them, his eyes lighting up.
"Such strong physiques… These are perfect sacrifices for the Edo Tensei!"
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T/N:
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